When Irish Eyes are Smiling
by Stacy
Summary: Amanda's keeping secrets and Lee is trying to figure them out along with his feelings for his partner. The resulting miscommunication could jeopardize their assignment. Set between the 2nd and 3rd series.


Disclaimers: I don't own any of these characters, I just like to have fun with 'em. Hope you all enjoy the story!  
  
  
Part One  
  
"Mom, do you know where my sleeping bag is? I thought I brought it down last night," Phillip King asked his mother as he carried down an armload of clothing from his room. Joe King, Amanda's ex-husband, was taking Phillip and Jamie on a two week long hiking trip in the White   
Mountains of New Hampshire and the boys were just silly with enthusiasm. Neither had slept the previous night, the normally quiet nocturnal King household was abuzz with excited whispers which escalated into loud conversations as the night wore on. Amanda was yawning and trying to wake herself up even after her shower and coffee. 'I don't ever remember having this much energy when I was 12' she thought to herself.  
  
"Yes, Phillip, I put it in the backyard to air out, it still smelled like laundry detergent, and you don't want to be eaten alive by mosquitoes, do you?" Amanda asked her older son. She ruffled his hair as he deposited his clothes on the table and began to pack. Amanda had to mentally stop herself from offering to help - she had to remember that her little boy wasn't so little anymore. Jamie came in with a similar armload of clothing. Amanda could barely make out the   
top of his blond head as he made his way into the kitchen. Slowly, the upper part of the pile beginning to list to the right. Amanda made a dive and caught the clothes before they hit the floor.   
  
"Good catch, Mom!" Jamie laughed. Amanda put the clothes on the table as her youngest began to pack his clothes alongside his brother.  
  
Amanda's left hand absently strayed to her midsection. That nagging pain had come back again this morning. She was glad that she had made an appointment with her doctor last week. She was due to see Dr. Featherstone at 11:30.  
  
Dotty came down the stairs, her own luggage already packed and ready in the living room. She was heading out on a two week cruise to the Caribbean with her senior group. Joe had graciously offered to drop her off at the airport.  
  
"Amanda" Dotty called out. "are you sure I can't change your mind about this cruise? You'd have a wonderful time"  
  
"No way, Mother." Amanda smiled. "If I went on that cruise with you, all the men would just flock to me," Amanda struck a dramatic pose and laughed. "You would never forgive me for stealing all those hunks. Besides, I'm kind of looking forward to having some quiet time."   
Amanda admitted. Her mind strayed to the last cruise she had been on, when she and Lee were 'married'. She allowed herself to recall the kiss they had shared. They had never talked about it, but Amanda wondered if Lee ever thought about it. A small smile appeared on her face.  
  
"Oh Amanda," Dotty laughed and hugged her daughter tight. Amanda cringed at the sudden tightening of her stomach. "I'll bring you back something nice."  
  
The phone rang. Amanda turned to her mother as she reached to answer it. "Can you watch the boys pack?" she asked as she lifted the receiver. "But don't help them unless they ask. Hello?" Amanda spoke into the receiver as she sat down on the edge of the couch. Her left hand again massaging her crampy stomach.  
  
"Good morning, Amanda," Lee Stetson's cheerful voice floated through the receiver. 'Cheerful?' Amanda thought. She looked at the clock. It was just after 7:30 in the morning. Lee was not a cheerful morning person. Amanda made a face, there was only one reason why Lee was   
calling her on her day off.  
  
"Good morning," Amanda returned cautiously. "Whatever it is, I asked for the day off. It will have to wait until Monday."   
  
'Damn, too cheerful,' Lee thought to himself. "Amanda," he began.   
  
"No," she repeated.  
  
"How did you know I was going to ask you to come in?" he asked, a trace of annoyance in his voice.  
  
"First of all, you're never in the office before 8am, and when you are, you're not approachable until at least 8:30. Second of all, you never say 'Good Morning' to me unless you need something. I asked for this day off over a week ago...I have plans."  
  
Lee sighed. "I know, I know, but with the Kolonsky case coming down earlier in the week, I haven't had time to finish the report on Gustaf Josef. Your field notes would be invaluable for this report, as well as your perspective, since you were there." 'and I was unconscious'  
he thought sadly. He adopted a more winsome tone. "I have to have that report on Billy's desk by 4:00, you know I wouldn't ask you unless it was an emergency," Internally Lee was miffed. It wasn't all that long ago that he couldn't give her enough to do - she was always asking to help out and pitch in, always...underfoot. Now he had to go out of his way to ask for her help?  
  
Amanda rolled her eyes. She knew that the Kolonosky case had blown wide open earlier in the week and Lee hadn't been in the office all week because of it. "Alright, alright," Amanda relented. "It's not your fault that case blew open when it did-" Amanda caught her mother   
staring at her, wondering what on earth her daughter was talking about. Amanda quickly recovered. "I mean...all that paperwork lost because of a defective valise, I told you you should have bought the italian leather," Amanda said quickly. Dotty made a small face and turned to head back to the kitchen. Amanda waited a beat before speaking into the receiver again. "I have an appointment at 11:30 that I need to keep, I can come in after that." she whispered into the   
phone.  
  
Lee had been quiet while Amanda went on about the valise - he assumed - correctly - that her mother had walked in. "Aahh, thank you, Amanda. I'll make it up to you, I promise!" Lee beamed as he hung up the phone. He regarded the receiver a moment. What did she   
have to do that was so important? Did she have a date or something? His brows creased at that thought. He didn't like the way he reacted when Amanda was around other men, worse yet, he didn't understand it.  
  
It was bad enough when she was dating that loser, Dean, at least when she was dating him, Lee had been able to convince himself that he didn't care. Now...now Lee wasn't sure how he felt. He cared about her a great deal, more than he should, considering their partnership. He   
stood and paced the small office, making his way to the coffeepot and pouring himself a cup. When had she become so important to him? The question formed itself in his mind as he reached for the cream. Lee made his way back to his desk and decided that line of questioning   
wasn't getting him anywhere. He pulled out the Gustaf Josef report and started to diligently fill it out.   
  
Close to two hours later, Lee sighed and looked down at the report in annoyance. He had done as much as he could, there were key details missing that Amanda had first person experience.   
  
Things had gone from bad to worse in that case when Lee was knocked unconscious after being struck in the head by one of Josef's goons. He remembered hearing Amanda scream his name just before he blacked out. His last conscious thought was of telling Amanda to run for help.  
  
When he came to, he was in the back of an ambulance, looking up at Amanda's worried face. She had a darkening patch of skin over her right eye and various cuts and bruises over her arms and legs, but otherwise looked intact. Amanda had refused to discuss the details of the events that took place while he was unsconscious, wouldn't even let him read her field notebook, even though, by rights as the Senior Agent, he had every right to read it. Somehow, he felt as though he were betraying her if he read it without her permission. It was that kind of thinking that infuriated Lee - a couple of years ago he wouldn't have cared if another agent got mad at   
him for reading field notes. But that had been before Amanda. He had definitely changed since that lady walked into his life. All Lee really knew about the Josef case was that if it hadn't been for Francine, he and Amanda would be dead right now.   
  
Lee looked up at the sounds of movement in the outer office. Billy's unmistakable steps pounded up the stairs. A moment later, he walked in the Q Bureau and handed Lee a new case file. "Scarecrow, this just came in," Billy said without preamble. He sat down on the edge of   
Amanda's desk. "Ever hear of a character named Guerin Laarson?" he asked.  
  
Lee searched his memory. "Wasn't he convicted of selling arms to the guerillas in Latin America?" he asked.  
  
"Got off on a technicality about six months ago, the D.A. was livid," Billy informed him. "Now, the IRA has been seen with some highly developed, highly desctructive prototype weaponry. So far, we can't pin this one on him. He's working here in DC for a straight-laced accounting firm. We want to begin surveillance on him ASAP, as well as do a thorough investigation of his movements for the past six months."  
  
Lee steepled his hands and leaned back in his chair. "So why is Laarson being suspected?" he asked.  
  
"Same M.O. Shipments being delivered once a month on the new moon, different drop locations in Ireland. A week later, a new threat is issued to the different consulates and embassies in Ireland. Last week, an attempt was made on the British Prime Minister who was in   
Ireland on a visit." Billy stood as Lee began to leaf through the file. "Laarson has not left DC since he arrived six months ago, but somehow, these weapons are making it to the IRA." Billy looked around. "Where's Amanda?" he asked.  
  
"She took today off, but she said she could come in this afternoon to help me finish the Gustof Josef report." Lee indicated the half-complete report in front of him.   
  
"That can wait, this is going to take top priority. There's going to be a lot of research with this one, so I'm upgrading Amanda's security to L-3 so she can gain access to Laarson's records. You're going to need a cover to get his personnel records from the accounting firm he's working with, I figured a nice, friendly visit from the IRS ought to be enough to open those files for us." Billy smiled.  
  
Lee shook his head and smiled. Although he didn't often show it, Billy had a warped sense of humor. "We're looking for...?" he let the question hang in the air.  
  
"Anything that forms a pattern. Meetings, expense reports, time cards, payroll...everything. There's going to be a lot of paper to get through. Should be some good experience for Amanda."  
  
Lee nodded. "I'll get Amanda up to speed when she comes in." Lee assured Billy, all traces of his earlier annoyance with Amanda now wiped from his mind. He just hoped she wouldn't be upset to find out she was being assigned a new case this afternoon when she was supposed   
to be off today.   
  
Billy left Lee to his thoughts. After Billy left, Lee stood. Plans or no plans, he wanted to get started on this case right away. It was just after ten. With any luck, he could catch Amanda before she left for her appointment. Lee tried not to think that he was using this as   
an excuse to see her and to potentially break up a lunch date. 'This is business' he told himself. He repeated those words to himself as he drove into Arlington. By the time he reached the outskirts of the town, he had almost convinced himself it was true.  
  
He arrived at her house just in time to see her pull out of the driveway. He stopped the car and thought for a moment. Should he follow her? He put the car in gear and followed at a discreet   
distance. This was business.  
  
*****  
  
"Amanda King, how have you been?" Dr. Harry Featherstone shook Amanda's hand warmly. Dr. Featherstone was a family practitioner, and although he didn't deliver Phillip and Jamie, he had been their doctor since they were infants.  
  
"Well, to tell you the truth, I've been feeling pretty lousy these past few weeks." Amanda admitted.  
  
"Oh?" Dr. Featherstone asked. "Up on the table," he instructed. "What have you been feeling?"  
  
"My stomach has been hurting, mostly after I eat," she began. "And I've been getting these awful backaches, they last only a minute or two, and they happen at night. Maybe I need a new mattress?" she asked.  
  
Dr. Featherstone laid her down and lifted her shirt. "Do you have indigestion or heartburn?" he asked as he felt around Amanda's abdomen.  
  
Amanda yelped and twisted away when he felt her upper right quadrant. "Ow! Yes to both" she said through gritted teeth.   
  
"A little tender, I see. Where did these bruises come from?" he asked, noticing the faint darkening of the skin around her ribcage.  
  
'I was beaten by a terrorist last week' Amanda thought to herself. "Oh, I was playing catch with the boys and I fell into the picnic table," she lied.  
  
Dr. Featherstone allowed Amanda to sit up. "I'd like to order an ultrasound for you, from what you've described, I suspect you have gallstones."  
  
Amanda sat up. "Gallstones? Really? That's the last thing I would have thought. Is that something you can give me medicine for?" she asked hopefully.  
  
Dr. Featherstone smiled. "I'm afraid not. If you do have stones, you'll have to have your gallbladder removed. The surgery is fairly invasive, but it's not as bad as it used to be. We'll wait until you've had the ultrasound before we decide where to go from there. I'll ask my receptionist to make an appointment for you at the hospital for later today."  
  
"I have to go back to work," Amanda began.  
  
"Amanda, gallstones aren't something you want to put off," Dr. Featherstone told her. "if there is a blockage and it goes unchecked for too long, your gallbladder could rupture."  
  
"Oh...lovely." Amanda sighed as she gathered her purse.  
  
  
Lee was in the waiting room, hiding behind a magazine. He felt like an idiot assuming Amanda had a lunch date, now he just felt concerned. She had a doctor appointment, and it was obviously not something she wanted to share with him. He wondered if Josef had hurt her more   
than she had let on. It was just like her to try to hide something like that from him, and it went a long way to explaining why she wouldn't share her field notes with him.  
  
"Okay, Mrs. King. Beth will make the appointment for you for this afternoon, don't eat anything between now and your appointment, we want the ultrasound to be as clear as possible. Dr. Davison will call you with the results. He's a specialist." Dr. Featherstone was saying to Amanda as they headed for the reception area.  
  
The color drained from Lee's face. Ultrasound? He kept his face hidden as Amanda spoke with the receptionist.  
  
"Well, Mrs. King, Dr. Davison can see you at 3:00 today," she handed Amanda an appointment slip. "You can go to the outpatient entrance at the Galliley Hospital, and they'll have the ultrasound ready for you. The entire procedure should take about a half hour. "  
  
"Thank you, Beth." Amanda smiled.   
  
"I hope you feel better soon," Beth smiled at her as she handed Amanda the appointment card.  
  
"Oh, so do I, Beth. I just want some answers. Thank you!" she smiled at the pretty receptionist as she left. Again, her stomach rebelled and Amanda's left hand went to cover the area of her abdomen that was in pain.  
  
The movement was not lost on Lee. He waited a few minutes after Amanda had left and then went out himself. He couldn't believe it.  
  
Amanda was pregnant!  
  
Part II  
  
With some careful maneuvering, a few shortcuts and an average highway speed of 80 miles per hour, Lee arrived back at the Q Bureau about 10 minutes ahead of Amanda. His thoughts consumed him. If she were seeing someone, she would have told him, right? They were friends.   
Of course, it would explain why she never talked to him about the times when their cases brought them close. He recalled the cruise they took and the kiss he had given her, not one kiss, but two. Of course, that was not the first time he had kissed her. The time he went undercover as a football player and she a sportswriter was the first time he had kissed her, but it was different then. At the time, he had kissed her mostly to see if he could get away with it. He   
fully expected her to kiss him back, and he was surprised when she didn't. Not only that, but the look she gave him afterwards actually made him feel ashamed of himself. He smiled at her, and she relaxed and silently forgave him. Things seemed to escalate from there - the time he had rescued her from the Russians who had mistaken her for Scarecrow - Lee had never felt so helpless in his whole life. Billy had asked him then if there was something going on between him and Amanda. Lee never answered him. Just like he never answered that annoying inner question from the morning. When had she become so damned important to him?   
  
These past few weeks, Lee would catch Amanda looking at him, and he knew she had caught him gazing at her on more than one occasion. And all this time, she was seeing someone. Not just seeing someone...sleeping with someone. His Amanda!  
  
Lee scowled. Where had that thought come from? She didn't belong to him. Just because he had brought her in to the Agency, took her under his wing, taught her everything she knew, assumed that the wide eyed, trusting gaze she had patented was for him alone...  
  
"Morning, Lee." Amanda's cheerful voice interrupted his thoughts.  
  
He looked at the clock. "It's nearly one o'clock," he reminded her.  
  
"Oh, sorry. Force of habit. So...where's that report?" she asked, looking around her desk. "I can give you about an hour of my time,"  
  
"Billy back shelved it," he told her. He handed her the case file on Guerin Laarson. "This case is going to take top priority. Billy is increasing your security clearance to L-3 for this one. There's going to be some field work involved, a bit of low-level undercover work, and a lot of research." He informed her briskly.  
  
Amanda looked at him. She wasn't used to Lee being so...efficient.  
  
"What's the undercover part?"  
  
"Our man, Guerin Laarson, is working for an accounting firm here in DC...ahh," Lee looked at the file. "Hollister and Forsythe. We need to pose as IRS agents and pull all of his records. I mean all of them - payroll, his clients, meetings, expense reports, credit cards...you name   
it. But, since he's only been there for six months, I'm hoping it won't be an unmanageable mess. This will be one of our less dangerous assignments, actually," Lee smiled at her. "should be good experience for you to learn how to do a low-key cover without worrying about   
being shot at,"  
  
Amanda smiled. Her stomach was acting up again. She was reaching for her bottle of Tums before she remembered her doctor's warning against eating anything.  
  
Lee watched Amanda reach for her purse and then change her mind. Now was as good a time as any. "Hey," he looked at her. "Are you okay?"  
  
Amanda smiled up at him. "Sure, I'm fine. Listen, why don't I get myself familiar with this case and take it home to read over the weekend. We can touch base on Monday and make a plan from there?" she asked. Her stomach was really hurting her and she needed to go use   
the ladies room.  
  
Lee could see that Amanda wasn't ready to open up to him. He tried not to feel hurt at his friend's rejection, but then considered that she probably wanted to wait until she knew for sure before she said anything.  
  
"Sure, that would be fine. Will you be home this weekend in case I need to get in touch?" he asked lamely, hoping she didn't see through him.  
  
"Yeah, I'll be home. Mother and the boys are gone for two weeks, Joe took the boys camping in New Hampshire and mother is on a cruise."  
  
"I'll bet it can't compare to the cruise we took," Lee said. He blanched, not realizing he had said that out loud.  
  
Amanda smiled, "I was just thinking about that this morning," she admitted. "Although, I expect if she gets married on her cruise, it will be the real thing."  
  
Lee smiled, remembering Amanda in her white wedding gown. "Yeah," he half sighed.  
  
Amanda stood and tried to keep her features neutral. Her body was killing her, but her mind was blissful, remembering that day. She didn't want to tell Lee about her possible gall bladder surgery unless she knew for sure, especially since they were supposed to go undercover next week.  
  
"Lee, I need to be going. Have a good weekend, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, you too." He watched her leave. "Amanda...why won't you just tell me?" he said to himself. He reminded himself that she'd tell him when she was ready. At least he knew she'd be home this weekend.  
  
Smiling to himself, he sat back down at his desk and reviewed Laarson's case file.  
  
******  
  
"How are you feeling, Mrs. King?" the ultrasound technician asked Amanda. She was lying on a table, wearing nothing but a johhny the hospital provided.  
  
"A little chilly, actually," Amanda admitted. "At least the gel you use is warmed up," she joked. "Ow!" Amanda yelped as the technician dug into her ribs.  
  
"I'm sorry, Mrs. King, this is the only way we can see the gall bladder...between the ribs." The technician explained.   
  
"That doesn't make it hurt any less." Amanda said through gritted teeth. The ultrasound was absolute torture. Nothing like the pelvic ultrasounds she had when she was pregnant.  
  
A half hour later, Amanda was dressed and in the doctor's office. Dr. Davison hadn't kept her waiting for long.  
  
"Well, Amanda, looks like we have a couple of stones here," Doctor Davison said after they shook hands. "There are three small stones, which aren't causing too much of a problem, but you have one large stone which is stuck between the opening of the gall bladder and the stomach. It's not allowing your gall bladder to close properly, so it's producing a lot of gastric acid - that's why you feel like you have heartburn." He explained.  
  
Amanda had a thoughtful look on her face. She loved it when doctors' explained medical findings to her, it was part of the reason she was a hospital volunteer not too long ago.  
  
"So, I need surgery?" she asked.  
  
Dr. Davison nodded. "The sooner the better, Amanda. I can have you in this weekend."  
  
"Oh no, can't it wait?" Amanda asked. "I mean, I know it's important, but can it wait until next Friday? Is there any way?" she asked him.  
  
Dr. Davison regarded Amanda and sighed. "Well, we could, but you do realize that your discomfort will only increase. I can give you some pain medication, but remember, it's going to mask your symptoms. You may feel better and the pain will go away, but you do need surgery.   
I'll write a prescription for vicatin," he said to her as he reached for his prescription pad. "It metabolizes in the system pretty quickly, so it won't affect your stomach." He handed her the prescription. "I'm going to schedule you for surgery one week from today. You are to be in the hospital at 8AM, nothing to eat after midnight the night before. Have you ever had surgery?" he   
asked as he walked her out.  
  
Amanda shook her head. "No...never," she admitted.   
  
The doctor handed her a pamphlet. "So, Your Gall Bladder has gone on Strike" Amanda read. She half smiled.  
  
"Read it, it will explain the entire procedure. I'll have my nurse, Kim sit with you for a while to go over your pre-surgical paperwork, and I'll see you next week." Dr. Davison led Amanda back to the reception area of the out patient clinic.  
  
'I just hope we can wrap up the undercover part of the case next week.' Amanda thought to herself. She should tell Lee and Mr. Melrose what was going on, but she was just starting to make a name for herself at the agency. She was tired of being thought of as 'the housewife' or 'the messenger' as Francine so kindly put. She was grateful to Lee for everything he had done for her, but she couldn't help but feel a little stifled at his overprotectiveness. They had been partners for nearly two years, and she had grown a lot since he first picked her out at the train station. She felt a twinge of regret for deceiving her partner. If he was the one about to undergo   
surgery and he hid the fact from her, she would be absolutely furious with him, but she would also worry about him and make sure he was okay.   
  
She thought back to one of their earlier cases, when Lee had faked his death to smoke out some terrorists. She remembered how broken up she had been about it and the bone deep ache that felt   
as though it was crushing her soul. She had cried and cried, lamenting over the fact that she had never told him how she felt...and then he appeared in her living room. She had never been so furious and so unbelievably happy at the same time.   
  
Knowing Lee, if he discovered the truth too soon, he'd go off on a tangent about procedures and trust between partners rather than worry over her. She just couldn't imagine him being beside himself with grief at the thought of losing her the way she had been when she had lost him. Besides, the doctor had given her pain medication, so she'd be able to function just fine this next week.  
  
What could a week hurt?  
  
Part III  
  
While Amanda was having her ultrasound, Lee was actually having success in going through Guerin Laarson's file. Despite his personal feelings, his training was kicking in and he had momentarily forgotten about Amanda's ultrasound. The more he read the Laarson file, the   
more he thought that the IRS angle alone would not get them the information they needed. A plan was forming in his mind.   
  
The preliminary information gathered on Hollister and Forsythe had been surprisingly helpful. The firm had been around for more than 20 years and employed over 200 people. Laarson's secretary was out on maternity leave and he has been using a temp for the past week. It   
would be easy enough to have Amanda replace that temp and get her on the inside. She would have access to Laarson's moves, his calendar, his calls - everything. Meanwhile, he could pose as an IRS investigator and gain access to Laarson's financial records within the firm - it was perfect.  
  
Lee smiled to himself as he sat up and stretched. It was nearly 4PM.  
  
He picked up the phone to contact the temporary agency, posing as the Human Resource Manager, and requested that the temp not show up on Monday. In the past, he would have left it at that and let the temp agency deal with the repercussions of firing someone. This time, however, he asked that the woman be paid for the time she missed until she was able to go on her next assignment. The invoice would be payable to IFF, the Agency's cover. Amanda would appreciate the extra step he had taken, and Lee realized this was one more way Amanda King   
had changed his life.  
  
Shaking the thought from his head, Lee headed downstairs to Billy's office. He knocked on the door and waited until he heard the gruff "Come in" float through the door.  
  
"Hey, Billy," Lee greeted him. He looked around the office. "I'd like to advise you on my plans for the Laarson case,"  
  
Billy looked up from his desk and listened as Lee explained his thoughts. "That way," Lee concluded. "we'll have someone close to Laarson, Amanda won't be in any danger and we can keep tabs on his whereabouts."  
  
Billy smiled. "Sounds like a good course of action. So Amanda reports to Hollister and Forsythe on Monday and you start your IRS investigation Monday afternoon. I expect you will advise Amanda as soon as possible?" Billy asked with a straight face.  
  
Lee nodded and feigned nonchalance. "I can get together with her before Monday and get her prepped," he said. Internally, he was suddenly rushed with a pleasant, warm feeling - he had an excuse to go see her again.  
  
Billy nodded and dismissed Lee. He couldn't help but notice the sudden spring in the Senior Agent's step as he left.  
  
  
Later that night, Amanda was washing her supper dishes. She had taken a pain pill with her small dinner and she was feeling the effects. She wasn't tired, exactly, but she felt a little light headed and very happy and at peace. She vaguely recalled the same type of heady feeling when she smoked her only cigarette at age 14. The phone rang.  
  
Amanda looked down at her soapy hands and quickly pulled them out of the water and dried them on her dish towel. She caught the phone on the third ring.  
  
"Amanda!" a male voice asked when she lifted the receiver. Amanda searched her memory to match the voice. All at once she had it - Timmy Dodge's father. He was an umpire in Jamie and Phillip's little league.  
  
"Jonathan Dodge," Amanda smiled into the phone. She mentally called up his image - early forties, father of three, sensational wife who made devastatingly delicious cakes each year for the Bomber's bake sales. "How is everything?" she asked as she sat down on the edge of   
the couch. Her gaze strayed to the kitchen window and she absently wondered what Lee was doing this evening. Her stomach rumbled a bit and her hand went to massage the area.  
  
Lee, at that moment, was in the garden. He watched Amanda rush to the phone. Her eyes lost their focus for a moment, Lee recognized that as her thinking look. A moment later, her face lit up, the caller was recognized and she settled herself on the edge of the couch to take the call. Her hand stroked her stomach. Lee frowned. Who was she talking to? She looked pretty damned happy. He ducked suddenly, catching her gazing out the window. He waited in a crouched position for a full thirty seconds. The back door didn't open, so he was certain he hadn't been seen. He looked down at his watch, it was 8:25. He made a mental note to get a record of the call that had come in. He could figure out who had called and, based on the radiant  
look on Amanda's face, it must be her mysterious boyfriend. The father of the baby.  
  
Lee stood again and watched Amanda through the window. She was nodding and smiling. Her face went downcast for a moment and Lee unconsciously moved closer to the window. Damn, he wished he could hear that conversation. He could read some of the words that came   
out of her mouth. "How is everything?" "They're doing fine". Something about being sorry, but she couldn't help out. Amanda stood and turned, now facing the living room. Lee could no longer see her face. He waited another ten minutes and watched her hang up the   
phone. Her demeanor seemed a little downcast. The sparkle was gone from her eye. He frowned. Something had happened. He rapped on the window.  
  
Amanda looked up and he could see her peering into the darkness through the window. The light returned to her face and she motioned for him to come in.  
  
Lee opened the back door quietly and slipped inside. "Oh," he remembered. "Your family is out of town."  
  
"Yeah, but I guess old habits are hard to break, huh?" Amanda asked. She suddenly felt giddy all over again. Jonathan had asked Amanda if she would be available to volunteer for a fund raiser this Saturday. She explained to him about her upcoming surgery and was grateful for   
his understanding and well wishes. She had hung up feeling a bit down. The truth was, she was scared and she had no one to talk to about it.  
  
"Yeah," Lee laughed. It sounded a bit forced to his ears. "but it's better to be safe than sorry, I guess. Did I catch you at a bad time?" he asked, half hoping she would tell him it was her mother on the phone.  
  
"Oh, no, I was just doing the dishes," Amanda said. "Would you like some coffee or anything?"  
  
"Yes, coffee would be terrific, actually, I was hoping we could discuss the Laarson case -" he began.  
  
"You know, I'm really glad you stopped by, I was reading the case, too and the proposed cover, uhm, look," she hesitated. "I know you're the Senior Agent, but I had an idea and I wanted to run it by you," she said as she fixed the coffee.  
  
"Sure, go ahead," Lee sat down at the kitchen table and watched her.  
  
"Well, I don't think the IRS thing is going to work. I mean, Joe was audited once and I remember that they look strictly for financial information, nothing about meetings or contacts, so I don't think we'll be able to get that information that way," she began.  
  
Lee smiled. God, she was great. She didn't know it yet, but she had picked up on everything he had when he reviewed the case. Amanda saw the smile. "What?" she asked.  
  
"Well, I was just thinking how great you are, Amanda," he said honestly. "I came to the same conclusion."  
  
Amanda blushed. "Well, thanks, Lee. That's quite a complement," Amanda came over to the table and sat down. The coffee was brewing.  
  
"So, what's your solution?" he probed. "I'm interested in hearing your proposed scenario,"  
  
"Well, I was thinking...according to the files, Mr. Laarson's secretary   
is out on maternity leave,"  
  
"And you could fill in for her?" Lee finished. Amanda nodded.  
  
"Perfect. That's exactly what Billy and I wanted to hear. We need details on the last six months of his professional life. You could have access to his computer, his calendar, his phone calls. This will be really good experience for you," Lee enthused.  
  
Over the next hour, they discussed their plan over coffee. Amanda would report to Hollister and Forsythe at 8AM, Monday morning. She would check in with Lee in the morning, and in the afternoon, he would be in the building himself, posing as an auditor along with another   
agent. Amanda could stay in direct contact with Lee and report anything she found.  
  
Amanda stifled a yawn, the pain medication was making her sleepy despite the coffee. Lee looked down at his watch. "Oh, geez, it's after 10 o'clock, I didn't mean to keep you tied up with this for so long, I'm sure you have a busy weekend planned," Lee said.  
  
Amanda smiled. She had been enjoying Lee's company so much, the time flew by in an instant. "Oh, no, just some housework. I'm taking it easy this weekend."   
  
Lee was silent for a moment. Should he ask her directly? Wait until she approached him? "Well, I guess I should go..." he started.  
  
"Yeah, I am pretty tired," Amanda admitted. They stood at the same time. Lee walked over to the door and Amanda followed him.  
  
"Amanda," Lee stopped short of the door and turned to look at her. "I...well, you know I'm your friend, right?" he asked.  
  
Amanda smiled. "One of my best friends, actually,"  
  
Lee smiled, feeling giddy all of a sudden. "You're one of my best friends, too, you do know that, right?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, of course. Lee...what is it?" Amanda asked, truly puzzled.  
  
"Ah, well, I just wanted to get that out there, Amanda. You can come to me for anything," he finished lamely.  
  
Amanda was touched. Here was her opening. She had been debating all night whether or not to tell him about her upcoming surgery. It would be nice to be able to talk to someone about it. 'and to lose the chance to go undercover and risk your job' a small voice in the back of her head reminded her.  
  
Amanda had that thinking look again. Lee waited until she had made up her mind.  
  
"Thank you, Lee," she whispered. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Lee felt his arms automatically go around her in a warm hug. It ended all too soon. "That goes for you, too, okay?"  
  
Lee nodded and turned the handle to the door. "Okay," he agreed.  
  
The Scarecrow quietly slipped off into the night.  
  
  
Part Four  
  
At 7:15, Monday morning, Amanda was on her way to Hollister & Forsythe. She expertly weaved through the highway traffic into the downtown area of Washington, DC. On Saturday morning, a courier had arrived with a package for her. Amanda spent her morning going through the scenario set up by Lee and Billy, some basic administrative instructions so she at least looked like she had done secretarial work before, a list of credentials, identifying her as Amanda Keene, a resume, a list of code phrases to use when speaking with Lee or Kevin Foster, the other agent assigned to work with Lee and an itinerary of what Lee's schedule would be for Monday so Amanda could get in touch with him when she needed to. She half expected to see a sheet of paper asking her to eat the instructions once she had memorized them.   
  
Hollister and Forsythe were due to receive a visit from Kevin Foster at 9:17 that morning, he would advise them of a spot-check on their financial records courtesy of the IRS, in accordance with RSA Section 3.28.81 of the United States Tax Law. He would demand access to the financial records which would result in one of two scenarios. One, the receptionist would contact the IRS, in which case, the call would be routed to the Agency and all information would be verified. Foster was then to ask for the Financial Manager - Guerin Laarson to lead him to the records. Two, the receptionist would contact Guerin Laarson directly and he would come down to the lobby. Amanda was made aware of this, because when Gueron Laarson was called away from his desk, she would have about 15 minutes to begin her search of his office, starting with his appointment calendar. Lee would arrive at 12:30 to 'assist' Kevin and Amanda would report in to him at that time.  
  
Billy figured they had about four days to nail him, since the new moon was due on Thursday.  
  
She was amazed to discover that she didn't feel nervous at all, instead, she felt excited. This was the first assignment she had been involved with in which she was given all the information, thanks to her upgraded security clearance. It made her feel better knowing not only what she was going to be doing, but what the others involved with the scenario would be doing as well. Her stomach was actually feeling a little better today, although she didn't eat very much for breakfast.  
  
At 7:50, Amanda arrived at Hollister and Forsythe. She was able to pick up the two Agency vans parked in the parking lot, keeping surveillance on the building and specifically, on Laarson, should he leave the building.  
  
Amanda walked into the building and introduced herself to the receptionist. The receptionist had been informed that there would be a new temporary starting today, and she directed Amanda to the elevators. "Fifth floor. Have fun," the receptionist called out sweetly.  
  
Amanda mentally reviewed her credentials on the ride up to the elevator. 'I type 65 words a minute, take shorthand and dictation,' she whispered to herself, grateful for the empty elevator.  
  
The doors opened and Amanda walked down the corridor. The third office on the left was Laarson's. The door to the office was open and she could see a man in the inner office. She could hear him having a heated conversation on the telephone. The outer office held a computer, a desktop calendar, a typewriter, message pad and various writing instruments. This would be her desk. Amanda took a few steps into the outer office and stood just outside the door to the inner office.  
  
"Okay, we'll be able to get those financials to you by the end of the week." Laarson spoke into the phone. He caught sight of Amanda and gestured for her to enter the office. "Sure, no problem. Lunch at Irish Eyes today? Uhh...," he opened a drawer and pulled out a worn, brown date book. Amanda's eyes widened slightly. As long as he put the calendar back, she would be able to get to it later. "Sure...noon it is. Bye," he hung up the phone and put the calendar back in his drawer.  
  
"You must be Ms. Keene," Guerin greeted her warmly. "Let's get you settled in, I could really use some administrative help today,".  
  
"Well, all right," Amanda agreed, momentarily taken aback. She had expected someone tougher, more...well, more chauvinistic. Guerin Laarson seemed to be a very nice man. Amanda liked him despite the Agency's dossier.  
  
After a brief orientation of the office and the facilities, Amanda was given some dictation to transcribe. They were interrupted by the speakerphone on Laarson's desk.  
  
"Mr. Laarson?" the receptionist's normally sweet voice was marked by an untertone of urgency. 'This is it,' Amanda thought. She rubbed her achy stomach.  
  
"Yes, Stephanie?" Laarson called from across the room. He went into the office and closed the door. Less than ten seconds later, the door opened, and Laarson stalked out of the office. "I'll be right back, Amanda. You can get started on that transcription," he said in a tight voice as he passed.  
  
"Yes, sir," Amanda smiled. She waited a full 15 seconds before entering the office.  
  
Her assignment had officially begun.  
  
  
At 9:00 that morning, Lee was on the phone to Stuart Parsons, one of the techies in the records department.  
"Stu," Lee smiled into the phone. "Hey, Lee Stetson, how've you been?"  
  
"Great, Scarecrow," Stu said into the phone. He and Lee had always gotten along, every once in a while they went out running together and would wind up at Monk's, putting the calories they had just burned off back into their bodies thanks to the beer.  
  
"'Fraid this is some business, Stu. You know my partner, Amanda King?" Lee asked.  
  
"Oh sure," Stu laughed. "Everyone knows Mrs. King. She brought us some brownies a couple of weeks ago. Guess she felt bad for us rats in the basement," he laughed again. Lee frowned a bit and pulled the phone away from his ear. That was one of the reasons why Lee didn't hang out with Stu on a regular basis, the guy's laugh was loud enough to break an eardrum.  
  
"That was nice of her," Lee said after a moment. "Listen, I was hoping you could help me out. Amanda doesn't know I'm doing this, but she's been getting some prank phone calls recently, the last one came in on Friday night, about 8:25. Can you run a check on that and see what number you come up with?" Lee asked, hoping he sounded like a concerned friend doing a favor for someone.  
  
"Sure, Lee, what's Amanda's number? I can get into the phone company database easy," Stu rambled. Lee gave him Amanda's number and waited patiently as Stu talked him through the entire process of dialing into the remote network and hooking up with the database.  
  
"Ah..hmm... here we go, the number is 555-3299, came in at 8:24, Friday night," Stu told Lee. Lee wrote the number down. "Who does the number belong to?" he asked.  
  
"Way ahead of you, Scarecrow, belongs to a guy named Jonathan Dodge, 2554 Oak Terrace, Arlington." Stu said proudly.  
  
"Thanks, Stu. Next time we go to Monk's, the beer is on me." Lee said and hung up. Oak Terrace...that was a couple of streets over from Maplewood. Lee frowned. It was beginning to look as though Amanda had found herself a nice, 'normal' relationship. He didn't want to think about it.   
  
Lee sat at his table and drank his coffee. He had over four hours before he needed to be at Hollister and Forsythe, and he had his cellular phone with him in case anyone needed to reach him. "Time to do a little investigating," he said as he drained his coffee. He grabbed his coat and keys and left the apartment.  
  
Part Five  
  
  
Amanda went straight for the drawer she had seen Laarson put the worn date book. She didn't have time to read it, but there was a copy machine across from her desk. She figured she had about ten minutes to copy as much as she could, so she began from the current date and worked her way backward. She had gotten through four months worth of appointments when she heard the elevator doors.  
  
Amanda quickly gathered her copies and slid them in the center drawer in her desk. She sprinted to Laarson's office and deposited the date book in his drawer. She quickly turned to face the windows, pretending to open them.  
  
"Amanda, what are you doing?" Laarson asked, clearly puzzled.  
  
"Oh, it was a bit stuffy, I thought I'd open the window, but they don't seem to open," she said easily.   
  
"Yes, safety features, the architects figured they'd have less suicides that way," he deadpanned. Amanda wasn't sure if he was trying to be funny, but she managed a small smile. "I usually don't like people in my office when I'm not here," he continued.  
  
The smile dropped from her face "Oh, I'm sorry. It won't happen again," she apologized quickly. "Is everything alright?" she asked.  
  
"Surprise IRS audit, that's all. I'm going to be tied up for most of the morning in my office, so please hold all my calls." His tone left no room for confusion, he wanted her out and quickly. Amanda wondered why he seemed so nervous.  
  
She went back to her desk and waited until he had closed his door and picked up the phone. She opened her drawer and began to review the copies she had made.  
  
"Not much...dinner...meetings...lunch." She mumbled to herself. A few names repeated themselves and Amanda highlighted them. From what she knew about the arms shipments, they happened every 4-5 weeks. She counted backward four weeks from Thursday and looked at the activity within that week. Two names popped up on the same day at the same time. She counted back another four weeks and one of the names appeared again, along with one other. Four weeks prior to that, the same name again, along with one more "Curioser and curiouser, " she muttered to herself. She looked around the desk and found a rolodex. "Let's see...." She went for the "H's" and looked up the first person: Diana Helm. The name was nowhere in the rolodex. Amanda wasn't surprised, if there was any contact information, it would most likely be found in Laarson's desk. He said he was going out for lunch at noon, some place called Irish Eyes. Every instinct within her screamed that that was significant, but there was little she could do about it.  
  
Amanda looked down at the phone and could see that Laarson was off the extension. She quickly switched on the dictation machine and turned on the computer. She had to get some work done for him, or else she would blow her cover. It had been a while since she had done transcription work, but she quickly remembered how mind numbing it was. She soon she found herself trying not to fall asleep at the voice droning on the tape. "I've had more fun watching paint dry," Amanda said to the empty room as she typed out the report. She quickly glanced down at her watch. It was only 10:30. She rolled her eyes and forced herself to continue. 12:30 seemed forever away.  
  
  
Lee was just pulling into Amanda's neighborhood at the time Amanda discovered the joys of stenography. He was halfway down the street to her house before he remembered that he wasn't going to her house. What was that Amanda had said last night? Old habits being hard to break?  
  
He continued down the street and passed her house. It looked just as bright and cheerful as ever, and Lee suddenly realized that he had only seen it a handful of times during the day. Despite himself, he stopped the car and gazed out the house, one hand resting on the steering wheel, the other supporting his chin in thoughtful contemplation. One of the boy's bikes lay in the middle of the lawn. The shades were open, letting in the late morning sun. He could see the family room through the window, and beyond that, the kitchen. How many times had he found himself getting her attention by knocking on that window? A dozen? A hundred? He had no idea - he only knew how much fun it was, watching her for a few moments without her knowledge, seeing her gasp in surprise when he made his presence known, and his favorite part, seeing her face melt into a smile when she made eye contact with him.   
  
Lee inhaled deeply and continued down the road. At the stop sign, he took a right and passed three more streets before getting to the one he wanted. Oak Terrace. Just a few more houses and...there. 2554 Oak Terrace. The Dodge residence. Lee stopped the car across the street and, much as he had done at Amanda's, merely gazed at the scene before him. The house was a gambrelle, painted blue with gray trim. There was a basketball hoop in the driveway, along with two bicycles. He had kids. Well, that was something they had in common, at least. The front door opened and a pretty red head trotted out, obviously in a hurry. Lee watched as the thirty-something woman jogged over to her car. She was just about to get in when she noticed the bikes. She shook her head in fond annoyance and moved the bikes into the shed behind the house. A moment later, she got into her car and was gone.  
  
Lee watched the scene in shock. Amanda was having an affair with a married man! He switched on the ignition of his corvette and pushed the gas pedal until the engine roared. He made his way to the highway and headed for Hollister and Forsythe.  
  
  
At 11:45, Laarson emerged from his office. "Well, Amanda, I'm off to lunch, I should be back around 1:30 or so. You can head off to lunch, too, if you'd like."  
  
"Thank you, I am ready for a break," Amanda said as she fought back a yawn. She watched in dismay as Laarson locked his office. "I just need to finish one more thing, and I'll be off to lunch myself,"  
  
"See you later," he said as he left.  
  
"Bye," Amanda called out. She waited until she heard the elevator arrive to pick up Laarson before she picked up the phone to call Billy.  
  
"Melrose," Billy said into the phone.  
  
"Sir, it's Amanda. Laarson just left for lunch, he's going to a place called 'Irish Eyes', he may be meeting someone named Diana Helm," Amanda said quietly into the receiver.  
  
"Good work, Amanda, we'll have someone in the restaurant before he gets there." Billy said and hung up.  
  
Amanda went over to Laarson's office and knelt down to inspect the lock. She figured if she worked at it, she could pick it. There were too many people passing by on their way to lunch for it to be safe, so she decided to look through the pages of the appointment book she had copied.  
  
There was no doubt about it, two names appeared every four weeks, one of which was always Diana Helm. Amanda checked her watch. It was nearly 12:30. Time to meet Lee in the parking lot. She gathered up the papers and made her way to the elevator.  
  
  
Part Six  
  
Amanda walked out to the parking lot along with a half dozen other employees of Hollister & Forsythe. The bright afternoon sun beat down on her and she shielded her eyes from the glare. She could see Lee's silver corvette parked in the rear corner of the lot. She noticed he had parked at an angle, taking up two spaces. She rolled her eyes, Lee and his 'classic cars'. When his Porsche was destroyed a while back, he was absolutely beside himself. She never did understand the attachment men had to their vehicles. Her own station wagon had been replaced more than once. In fact, she recalled the first case she had worked on with him, it went over a cliff. "Gee, sorry about your car!" Lee had said. She had the feeling that had she said those words to him upon the demise of his Porsche, he wouldn't get the joke.  
  
Amanda walked across the lot towards the car. When she was close enough, she could see that he wasn't sitting behind the wheel. Frowning a bit, she stopped walking and turned to look for him. Lee was leaning against the Agency van, out of view from the front entrance of the building.  
  
"Hi, Lee," Amanda said casually as she walked over to him.  
  
"Amanda, you shouldn't be looking at me when you talk to me," he reminded her testily.  
  
"There's no one around, they all went the other way," she said. She stopped in front of him.  
  
"How did it go?" he asked. Back to business.  
  
"Fine, I managed to get copies of about four months worth of appointments from Mr. Laarson's schedule," she said. She handed him the folder she stored in her briefcase.  
  
"Anything good?" he asked as he flipped through the pages.  
  
"Well, I'm not sure. He has meetings every four to five weeks with a woman named Diana Helm, I can't find any information on her in the rolodex, but I haven't had a chance to look on the computer yet. He's going to lunch today to a place called 'Irish Eyes' I told Billy about it, he's sending someone to check it out. I think he's meeting her there."  
  
Lee nodded thoughtfully. "I'll give Billy a call this afternoon to see what he's found. Is that all you got?" he pressed.  
  
"Yeah, he locked his office before he left for lunch, he doesn't trust anyone. He caught me in there earlier and I thought he was going to fire me on the spot."  
  
"He caught you? Amanda, you could have blown your cover!" Lee said angrily.  
  
Amanda's eyes widened. "Lee, I made an excuse about wanting to open the windows. He accepted it. I'm sorry, he came back sooner than I thought he would." She was surprised by his outburst. She didn't think it was a big crisis. "Why are you so angry?"  
  
" I'm not angry!" he said loudly. "Okay, I'm angry. Amanda - why did you lie to me?" he asked directly. "You are in no physical condition to be doing this type of work right now!"  
  
Amanda's heart sank. He found out about her operation. That was why he was upset - she risked the whole case by accepting an assignment she wasn't physically capable of handling.  
  
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I thought I could get away with it, it's so important to me to feel that I can be depended on. Besides, you said yourself that there was no physical danger in this assignment," she reminded him. "It's a simple information gathering assignment and some undercover work."  
  
Lee ran his hand through his hair. 'Damn!' he thought to himself. The whole ride over here, he had been thinking of possible explanations for Amanda's behavior these past few days. He didn't expect that he'd be right, but here she was, confirming everything he had suspected. He felt as though his whole world had fallen out beneath him.  
  
"I need to get inside and check in with Foster. What extension are you at?" he asked, deciding to change the subject.  
  
"892," she told him. "Lee...please, I know Friday night you said I could talk to you about anything," she laid a tentative hand on his arm. "I just couldn't talk about this...this job is so important to me, I wanted to be involved."  
  
Lee sighed and then placed his own hand upon hers. "I know, I just feel, I feel betrayed, Amanda. But I guess I can understand your reasons. Just promise me that you'll be very careful, okay?" He looked down had her small hand and squeezed it.  
  
Amanda looked up at him. "I will," she promised.  
  
"I'll check in with you at 1:30 and let you know which floor I'll be on. I can meet you back at your place tonight around six and we can go over our findings, okay?" he asked.  
  
Amanda nodded and took her hand off his arm. He held onto her hand for an extra moment and then let her go. Lee watched her walk across the parking lot and back into the building. After she had disappeared inside, he followed her.  
  
  
  
Laarson didn't return to the office. Amanda spent the afternoon searching the computer records trying to locate files on any of the names that appeared in Laarson's appointment book. Nothing. Lee had given her a quick call and told her they were looking at his expense accounts. Apparently, Laarson dined at Irish Eyes frequently, but his receipts showed that he dined alone.  
  
At six o'clock, Lee arrived at Amanda's house. Amanda had arrived at home a little over 15 minutes ago. She had changed into a pair of loose jeans and a comfortable sweatshirt and was just about to look at the mail when Lee showed up. She had taken another pain pill, her stomach was killing her. She had barely eaten anything all day.  
  
Lee arrived with some deli take-away. Amanda took one look at the food and turned away, her stomach roared in protest of the deli meat aroma. She put the pile of mail on top of the small book case in the living room.  
  
"Not feeling well?" Lee asked.  
  
Amanda shook her head. "My stomach is really upset," she admitted. "Come on, you can take that into the living room and we can go over the papers,"  
  
A half hour later, they were surrounded by scattered paper, trying to come up with a pattern.  
  
"Oh, almost forgot, Billy called with the report from Irish Eyes," Lee said as he finished off his sandwich. "Seems that Laarson arrived and asked for Diana Helm's table, just like you thought. He was shown to a table. Ten minutes later, the waiter arrived with a message for him. Diana Helm couldn't make it, but she had an appointment with their associate, Dan Loge on Thursday. He ordered a sandwich to go, paid for it and left."  
  
Amanda's ears pricked up at the name. "Dan Loge?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
"That name is in Laarson's appointment book," Amanda reached for the pile and sifted through the papers. "Here it is...three months ago. Diana Helm and Dan Loge, on the same day."  
  
"and lookee here," Lee said, holding up an expense report. "Laarson showed up at Irish Eyes that same day. Ordered a take away sandwich."  
  
Amanda looked at Lee. "I think we've found our pattern," she said.  
  
Lee smiled. "Yeah...good work, Amanda."  
"It's funny, isn't it?" Amanda said. She leaned back on the couch and rested her eyes.   
  
"What is?" Lee asked.  
  
"Well, he had appointments with this woman every month for at least the past four months, but it looks like she's never showed. Kinda makes you wonder why he even tries meeting with her." Amanda opened her eyes and looked at Lee. He was staring at the wall. 'His thinking look,' Amanda thought to herself. She loved to watch him when the wheels were turning in his head. He didn't know it, but when he was deep in thought, his guard came down and his face became animated. She could almost see him coming up with ideas, and discarding them one by one. He frowned a bit, then he shook his head. His eyes became focused again and he looked at her. He had a thought.  
  
"Unless...unless the woman doesn't exist," he said slowly.   
  
Amanda sat up and turned to face him. "Why would he make appointments with someone who didn't exist?" she asked, clearly puzzled. "Maybe...it's a code phrase or something?"  
  
"If it is, then the waiter has to be in on it," Lee agreed. "I'll have Billy bring him in for questioning."  
  
Amanda looked around the room, her eyes settled on Jamie's puzzle magazine that came in the mail today. 'Diana Helm' she thought as she looked at the magazine. She cocked her head. "A puzzle..." she said slowly. She could read the headline of the magazine from this angle "Amazing Anagrams..." she read outloud.  
  
"What?" Lee looked at her. She was clearly trying to put some puzzle pieces together.  
  
"Lee!" she jumped off the couch. "Where's my atlas?"  
  
"Your what?" Lee stood and watched as Amanda tore through her book case.  
  
"My atlas!" she repeated. "Jamie's puzzle magazine...don't you see it?" she said in an excited voice.  
  
Lee shook his head. "The only thing I see is that you have lost your mind!"  
  
Amanda turned to him, holding oversized Atlas over her head in triumph. "Ha!" she cried and slammed it down on the table. The expense reports and appointment book copies scattered to the floor. "Jamie gets a puzzle magazine every week, and this week's issue is featuring anagrams," she explained as she opened the atlas. "I think Diana Helm is an anagram," she finished, pointing to a map of Ireland.  
  
Lee's jaw dropped. "An anagram?" he asked, still, he bent over and looked at the map.  
  
"An anagram of a town in Ireland," she began to search through the towns. "Here! Malin Head"  
  
"Oh, my god, Amanda. I can't believe this!" Lee said as he bent over the map. He looked down, and sure enough, there in the northern part of the country was Malin Head. "It's a coastal town."  
  
"What about the other names?" he asked excitedly. "Dan Loge...uh," he reached down and looked for the appointment book papers. "Sadie Herr,"  
  
"That would be..." Amanda searched the map. "Oh! Donagle! It's a coastal town and Sadie Herr...Sadie...Erris Head!" Amanda looked into Lee's eyes. "That's a coastal town, too. It looks like the next arms shipment is going to take place in Donagle."  
  
Lee looked over at Amanda, her face was inches from his own. Her face was flushed, she was so excited about their discovery. He leaned forward and kissed her.   
  
Amanda's eyes widened. She had almost forgotten how nice Lee's lips felt upon her own. She pulled back for a moment. "Lee," was all she could get out as his lips claimed hers again. She had almost managed to ignore the nagging pain in her side. Suddenly, she felt as though her stomach was on fire. "Lee," she said again, a bit louder this time. "Oh!" she gasped. "Lee! Oh, my gosh, oh!" she rolled onto the floor in agony, her hands wrapped around her midsection.  
  
"Amanda!" Lee cried out. She had gone deathly pale. His heart stopped mid beat. "Oh, god." He reached for the phone and called for an ambulance.   
  
"Lee," she moaned after he hung up. He scooped her up in his arms and sat down with her on the couch.  
  
"Lee...I need to see my doctor," she whispered.  
  
"Shh...it's okay. It's okay," he said soothingly. He kissed her forehead and smoothed her hair. "You're going to be okay, I called for an ambulance."  
  
"He said I would be okay until Friday," she whispered. "Friday was when I was supposed to go in,"  
  
Lee frowned and continued stroking her hair. "Go in?" he asked.  
  
"For the operation," she whispered. Her eyes closed once again and she again marvelled at how she could feel so good and so bad at the same time.  
  
Lee stared down at her. "Operation?" he asked. "Amanda, you're not going to...you weren't planning on - " he couldn't finish the sentence. The thought was incomprehensible to him.  
  
"I saw my doctor last week and he did an ultrasound...he said I'd need to have surgery soon," she mumbled.   
  
"But...Amanda...it's...you're a mother, for god's sake. Why would you do that?" He asked incredulously.  
  
"Do what? Lee, I have gallstones. I need to have my gallbladder removed." She said. "What did you think was wrong with me?"  
  
For the second time that night, Lee's heart stopped. "You mean you're not pregnant?" he asked. A silly grin spread out over his face.  
  
"What?" she tried to sit up. "Owwwwww!! Where's that ambulance. Oh, gosh, Lee. You thought I was pregnant?"   
  
Lee looked down at her. "Uh, yeah. I followed you to your doctor appointment, and I heard him say he was scheduling you for an ultrasound...what else was I supposed to think?" he asked. He could hear sirens coming down the street.  
  
"Oh, I don't know, that maybe you should ask me?" she said angrily.   
  
"I tried, you insisted that there was nothing wrong with you!" he argued. The front door burst open and the paramedics arrived.  
  
"If you thought I was pregnant, you should have asked!" she argued right back. The paramedics looked at Amanda and then back at Lee. "I'm not pregnant, allright?" she yelled at the medics as they loaded her onto the gurney. Lee and Amanda held hands despite their argument.  
  
"I should have asked?" Lee yelled. "Do you have any idea how I felt thinking that you were pregnant? That you had a boyfriend somewhere and didn't tell me about it?"  
  
The paramedics began wheeling Amanda to the ambulance. One of the men held Lee back and prevented him from getting in. Lee was forced to let go of Amanda's hand. "I'm sorry, sir, there's no room, you can follow in your car," he said. Lee hardly heard him.  
  
"No, Lee. You've never told me how you felt!" she yelled out as they loaded her onto the ambulance. The doors were beginning to close when Lee decided he was going to have the last words of their argument.   
  
"I'm in love with you, dammit!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.  
  
The doors slammed shut and the ambulance drove off.  
  
  
Lee arrived at the hospital a few minutes behind the ambulance, only to find that Amanda had already been whisked off to surgery. The paramedics called ahead for her diagnosis from Dr. Davison. He told them to take her straight to surgery and he would be there to perform the cholecystomy himself.   
  
Lee was told by a member of the medical staff that the surgery would take a couple of hours. Lee paced the halls a bit and then decided to call Billy to give him an update of their findings and to let him know what was going on with Amanda. Billy promised to bring in the waiter for questioning and would keep Lee appraised of the situation.  
  
Mentally exhausted, Lee decided to go home and grab a shower and a change of clothes. He had just stepped out of his car when he heard a noise coming from the garbage cans on the curb. He went over to investigate. A brown paper bag was meowing pathetically. He bent down to open it up and discovered a tiny kitten. Its green eyes blinked up at Lee and it meowed again.  
  
Lee scooped up the tiny kitten and held it against his chest. He was all black except for a white stripe down his nose. "Now, who on earth would do this to you?" he asked the kitten. It was scrawny and cold. Poor thing. "If I ever get my hands on the person who did this..." he swore under his breath. "Looks like you need someone to take care of you," he said to the kitten. The kitten meowed again and snuggled closer to the warmth Lee's chest provided. "And I know just who," he smiled at the kitty.  
  
He patted the kitten and smiled fondly as he made his way into his apartment building. The spring was back in his step.  
  
  
The next morning, Amanda woke up in the hospital. She had come out of the anesthesia hours ago, but her body decided it still wanted to rest, so she fell into a peaceful sleep.  
  
Her belly hurt. Her hand hurt. She looked down at her wrist in mild surprise at the IV needle stuck in her arm.  
  
"Hi," Lee smiled at her. He walked into the room carrying a bouquet of flowers and a medium sized box.  
  
Amanda smiled. "Hi," she whispered.  
  
Lee walked over to her and placed the flowers in a vase near the window. He put the box on the bed next to her. "How are you feeling?" he asked carefully.  
  
"Oh, terrible right now, but Dr. Davison assures me I'll be good as new in a few weeks," Amanda said quietly.  
  
"Well, I'm glad to hear that!" Lee smiled. "Billy called me this morning. We were right about everything. The waiter confessed to everything as soon as we fould out he didn't have a visa. It seems that the IRA had been using Laarson all along. They had someone on the inside at the weapons laboratory, and they had people in Ireland. They needed a go-between to set up the drops and the payments. Laarson was that man. We found a rather tidy sum of money set up in a swiss bank account in his name."  
  
Amanda smiled. "Well...glad it's taken care of then."   
  
"Ahh, Amanda," Lee began uncomfortably. "About last night,"  
  
"Do you want to apologize?" she asked. "I know I do,"  
  
"Yeah...well...I guess we should both apologize," he sat down on the edge of her bed and took her good hand. "You have no idea how crazy I went when I thought you were having an affair."  
  
Amanda cocked her head as she looked at him. "Who did you think I was having an affair with? I spend all my time with either my family, or you. You know that," she said gently.  
  
"What about Jonathan Dodge?" he asked. A hint of challenge had crept into his voice.   
  
Amanda laughed. "Oh...ow. I shouldn't laugh yet.. Jonathan Dodge is Timmy Dodge's father. He is an umpire in Jamie and Phillip's little league, in fact, he called me on Friday night and asked if I could help out with a bake sale this weekend." The realization hit her. "You were outside my window when he called!" she accused.  
  
Lee nodded and had a hang-dog expression. "Yeah...I'm afraid I jumped to the wrong conclusion. But-" he reached for the box and removed the lid. "I figured you couldn't stay mad at a guy who would bring you a kitten as a get well gift," he said as he lifter out the tiny black kitten he had found.  
  
"I brought him to the Veterinary Hospital last night and they gave him a clean bill of health. He's about ten weeks old and has all of his shots. Now all he needs is a good home," he held the kitten out to her.  
  
"Oh!" Amanda gasped. "Oh, he's so sweet! Lee....thank you. Oh gosh, Phillip and Jamie are going to be so surprised!"" she reached for the kitten and snuggled him close to her face. "Aren't you beautiful?" she cooed to the kitten. "Yes you are, oh yes!"  
  
Lee smiled and watched her. He wondered if she had heard him scream out his feelings for her as the ambulance took off. If she didn't, her neighbors surely did. Now was not the time to bring that up.  
  
"So...what are you going to name him?" he asked.  
  
Amanda let the kitten settle on her lap. She could barely feel his weight on her legs. "I don't know," she said. She looked down at the kitten who was now curled up an a little ball, getting ready to take a nap. "What's your name, sweetheart?" she asked.  
  
The kitten meowed once and looked at Lee. It then looked at Amanda and winked before settling in for its nap.  
  
"Oh, I see," she nodded. "Good choice."  
  
"What?" Lee asked.  
  
"He just told me his name." Amanda said sweetly.  
  
"He did?" Lee smiled. He looked down at the kitten. "What is it?"  
  
"Scarecrow." Amanda smiled.  
  
Lee turned to look at her. "Amanda King, you are NOT going to call that kitten Scarecrow." He ordered.  
  
Amanda giggled and reached out for his hand. "Oh, I don't know, I kind of like the idea of having a Scarecrow around that I don't have to hide from everyone."  
  
Lee laughed and leaned down. He kissed her once on the lips. "We have a lot to talk about when you're out of here," he said to her.  
  
"I look forward to it."   
  
End  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
